The present invention provides a method of micropropagating a monocotyledonous plant comprising: (a) cultivating an explant of tissue from a monocotyledonous plant shoot tip on a primary medium, wherein the explant has been pretreated with a cold temperature and the primary medium comprises auxin or auxin and cytokinin, to produce a totipotent embryogenic cell culture; (b) treating the totipotent embryonic cell culture with a cold temperature; (c) maintaining the totipotent embryogenic cell culture by cultivation on a secondary medium, whereby a totipotent embryogenic cell culture of a monocotyledonous plant is produced and maintained; and (d) transferring the embryogenic cell culture of step (c) to a tertiary medium to continue multiplication and to produce a plantlet with roots and shoots, thereby micropropagating a monocotyledonous plant. The micropropagation techniques described herein provide plants for such purposes as development of elite plant lines, phytoremediation and biomass production.